Plate roll bending machine bending control system and method

Abstract

A hydraulic roll bending machine and method includes loading a plate between top and bottom rollers, receiving a user input indicative of a desired plate radius, calculating a pre-bend radius for the plate based on the desired plate radius and information from the material database, providing a bending signal to the actuator to position the at least one bending roller relative to the top and bottom rollers based on the pre-bend radius, providing a feed signal to advance a leading portion of the plate against the at least one bending roller, determining an actual pre-bend radius of the leading portion of the plate, and calculating an adjustment to the material database based on a difference between the pre-bend radius and the actual pre-bend radius.

I claim: 
     
       1. A hydraulic roll bending machine having a top roller, a bottom roller and at least one bending roller, the hydraulic roll bending machine comprising:
 an electronic controller, the electronic controller including a material database stored in non-volatile memory, the material database including a material information library of material properties for a plurality of materials; 
 an actuator associated with the at least one bending roller, the actuator operating in response to a bending signal provided by the electronic controller; 
 a motor coupled with one of the top or bottom roller, the motor operating in response to a feed signal provided by the electronic controller; 
 a position sensor disposed to measure a position of the at least one bending roller relative to the machine, the position sensor configured to provide a position signal to the electronic controller; 
 wherein the electronic controller is programmed and configured to:
 load a plate between the top roller and the bottom roller; 
 receive a user input indicative of a desired plate radius and a plate material from a machine user; 
 calculate a pre-bend radius for the plate based on the desired plate radius and information for the plate material from the material database; 
 provide a bending signal to the actuator to position the at least one bending roller relative to the top and bottom rollers based on the pre-bend radius; 
 provide a feed signal to advance a leading portion of the plate against the at least one bending roller; 
 determine an actual pre-bend radius of the leading portion of the plate; 
 calculate a set of revised material properties to update the material information library in the material database for the plate material based on a difference between the pre-bend radius and the actual pre-bend radius; and 
 perform a bending operation on the plate based on the set of revised material properties. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The hydraulic roll bending machine of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to calculate an updated bending signal based on the set of revised material properties in the material database and the desired plate radius. 
     
     
       3. The hydraulic roll bending machine of  claim 2 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to cause the at least one bending roller to assume a new position based on the updated bending signal. 
     
     
       4. The hydraulic roll bending machine of  claim 3 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to provide the feed signal to advance a remaining portion of the plate through the top and bottom rollers and against the at least one bending roller at its new position. 
     
     
       5. The hydraulic roll bending machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a second bending roller. 
     
     
       6. The hydraulic roll bending machine of  claim 1 , wherein the information in material database includes a material type, a material hardness, a material yield strength and a plate thickness for each of the plurality of materials, and wherein the user input is further indicative of a selection of one of the plurality of materials. 
     
     
       7. The hydraulic roll bending machine of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to define a new material based on the set of revised material properties that is calculated, and store the new material as one of the plurality of materials in the material database. 
     
     
       8. A method for operating a hydraulic roll bending machine having a top roller, a bottom roller and at least one bending roller, the method comprising:
 using an electronic controller associated with the hydraulic roll bending machine, the electronic controller including a material database stored in non-volatile memory, the material database including a material information library of material properties for a plurality of materials; 
 providing an actuator associated with the at least one bending roller, the actuator operating in response to a bending signal provided by the electronic controller; 
 providing a motor coupled with one of the top or bottom roller, the motor operating in response to a feed signal provided by the electronic controller; 
 providing a position sensor disposed to measure a position of the at least one bending roller relative to the machine, the position sensor configured to provide a position signal to the electronic controller; 
 loading a plate between the top roller and the bottom roller; 
 receiving a user input indicative of a desired plate radius and a plate material from a machine user into the electronic controller; 
 calculating a pre-bend radius for the plate based on the desired plate radius and information for the plate material from the material database using the electronic controller; 
 providing a bending signal to the actuator to position the at least one bending roller relative to the top and bottom rollers based on the pre-bend radius using the electronic controller; 
 providing a feed signal to advance a leading portion of the plate against the at least one bending roller using the electronic controller; 
 determining an actual pre-bend radius of the leading portion of the plate, providing the actual pre-bend radius to the electronic controller; 
 calculating a set of revised material properties to update the material information library in the material database for the plate material based on a difference between the pre-bend radius and the actual pre-bend radius using the electronic controller, and 
 performing a bending operation of the plate based on the set of revised material properties. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising calculating an updated bending signal based on the set of revised material properties in the material database and the desired plate radius using the electronic controller. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising causing the at least one bending roller to assume a new position based on the updated bending signal using the electronic controller. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising providing the feed signal to advance a remaining portion of the plate through the top and bottom rollers and against the at least one bending roller at its new position using the electronic controller. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising using a second bending roller to position and pre-bend the plate. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the information in the material database includes a material type, a material hardness, a material yield strength and a plate thickness for each of the plurality of materials, and wherein the user input is further indicative of a selection of one of the plurality of materials. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising defining a new material based on the set of revised material properties that is calculated, and storing the new material as one of the plurality of materials in the material database. 
     
     
       15. An electronic controller associated with a hydraulic roll bending machine, the hydraulic roll bending machine having a top roller, a bottom roller, at least one bending roller, an actuator associated with the at least one bending roller, a motor coupled with one of the top or bottom roller, and a position sensor disposed to measure a position of the at least one bending roller relative to the machine, the electronic controller comprising:
 a material database stored in non-volatile memory, the material database including a material information library of material properties for a plurality of materials; 
 a connection to the actuator, which actuator configured to operate in response to a bending signal provided by the electronic controller; 
 a connection to the motor, the motor configured to operate in response to a feed signal provided by the electronic controller; 
 a connection to the position sensor, the position sensor configured to provide a position signal to the electronic controller; 
 wherein the electronic controller is programmed and configured to:
 load a plate between the top roller and the bottom roller; 
 receive a user input indicative of a desired plate radius and a plate material from a machine user; 
 calculate a pre-bend radius for the plate based on the desired plate radius and information for the plate material from the material database; 
 provide a bending signal to the actuator to position the at least one bending roller relative to the top and bottom rollers based on the pre-bend radius; 
 provide a feed signal to advance a leading portion of the plate against the at least one bending roller; 
 determine an actual pre-bend radius of the leading portion of the plate; 
 calculate a set of revised material properties to update the material information library in the material database for the plate material based on a difference between the pre-bend radius and the actual pre-bend radius; and 
 perform a bending operation on the plate based on the set of revised material properties. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The electronic controller of  claim 15 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to calculate an updated bending signal based on the set of revised material properties in the material database and the desired plate radius. 
     
     
       17. The electronic controller of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to cause the at least one bending roller to assume a new position based on the updated bending signal. 
     
     
       18. The electronic controller of  claim 17 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to provide the feed signal to advance a remaining portion of the plate through the top and bottom rollers and against the at least one bending roller at its new position. 
     
     
       19. The electronic controller of  claim 15 , wherein the information in the material database includes a material type, a material hardness, a material yield strength and a plate thickness for each of the plurality of materials, and wherein the user input is further indicative of a selection of one of the plurality of materials. 
     
     
       20. The electronic controller of  claim 15 , wherein the electronic controller is further programmed and configured to define a new material based on the set of revised material properties that is calculated, and store the new material as one of the plurality of materials in the material database.